April 7
1800s *1873 - John McGraw is born in Truxton, New York. A fiery third baseman for the 1890s Baltimore Orioles, McGraw will achieve much more recognition as an innovative, autocratic field manager. In his 31 years at the helm of the New York Giants, McGraw's teams will gain National League 10 pennants, finish second 11 times and took home three World Series trophies. He ranks second all-time with 2,840 wins. In 1933, he will return of retirement to manage the National League in the very first major league All-Star Game. As a player, he was credited with helping to develop the hit-and-run, the squeeze play and other strategic moves. McGraw will be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee In 1937. 1900s 1910s *1918 - Bobby Doerr is born in Los Angeles, California. A hard-hitting second baseman, Doerr will bat .288 in 14 seasons with the Boston Red Sox and reach the 100-RBI mark six times during his career. Doerr will gain Hall of Fame honors in 1986. 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s *1958 - The newly transplanted Los Angeles Dodgers erect a 42-foot screen at the Los Angeles Coliseum as part of an effort to cut down on home runs to left field, which is only 250 feet from home plate. 1960s *1969: **Ted Williams makes his managerial debut for the Washington Senators. Williams loses his first game to the New York Yankees, 8–4, on Opening Day at RFK Stadium. Williams will manage the Senators for three seasons, before moving with the team to Texas in 1972. **Pitcher Bill Singer of the Los Angeles Dodgers earns the first official save in MLB history. Making his only relief appearance of the season, Singer finishes off Don Drysdale’s 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Thanks to the efforts of sportswriter Jerome Holtzman, the save had become an official statistic in baseball. 1970s *1970 - The Milwaukee Brewers play their first home game after their recent relocation from Seattle where they had played the 1969 season as the Pilots. The Brewers lose to the California Angels, 12–0, as major league baseball returns to Milwaukee after a five-year absence. *1971 - The dismissal of Curt Flood's suit against MLB is upheld by a three-judge U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. *1973 - At Cleveland Stadium, the Indians sets Opening Day and daily game home records as 74,420 fans watch their team beat the Tigers, 2–1. *1977: **At Exhibition Stadium, the Toronto Blue Jays play their first game ever with a victory against the Chicago White Sox, 9–5. In his first major league at-bat Toronto's Al Wood becomes the first player to pinch-hit a home run in Opening Day and rookie Doug Ault homers twice (1st and 5th innings) off Francisco Barrios. Snowflakes were seen during the game. **Tommy Lasorda makes his managerial debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5–1 victory over the San Francisco Giants. *1978 - The U.S. Court of Appeals upholds an earlier court decision in support of Commissioner Kuhn's voiding of attempted player sales by Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley in June 1976. Finley's appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court will be rejected on October 2. *1979 - In the earliest no-hitter in MLB history, Ken Forsch of the Houston Astros shuts downs the Atlanta Braves, 6–0. Forsch and his brother Bob, who hurled a no-hitter in 1978, become the first brothers to pitch no-hit no-run games. 1980s *1983 - MLB, ABC, and NBC agree to terms of a six-year television package worth $1.2 billion. The two networks will continue to alternate coverage of the playoffs, World Series, and All-Star Game through the 1989 season with each of the 26 clubs receiving $7 million per year in return. The last package gave each club $1.9 million per. *1984: **Jack Morris of the Detroit Tigers pitches a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox. Morris strikes out eight and walks six in shutting down the Sox at Comiskey Park. Morris becomes the first Tiger since Jim Bunning, who accomplished the feat in 1958, to toss a no-hitter. **19-year-old pitcher Dwight Gooden makes his debut for the New York Mets. Gooden earns a 3–2 win over the Houston Astros. *1986 - At Tiger Stadium, Boston Red Sox outfielder Dwight Evans becomes the first player to hit the first pitch on Opening Day for a home run. Jack Morris throws the gopher ball but gets the victory as Detroit edges Boston, 6–5, behind two home runs by Kirk Gibson. *1987 - Atlanta Braves pitcher Rick Mahler ties a National League record by throwing his third Opening Day shutout. Mahler beat the Phillies, 6–0, on three hits. *1988 - Cincinnati Reds rookie third baseman, Chris Sabo, ties a major league record with eleven assists in one game. 1990s *1996 - National League umpire Eric Gregg is given a leave of absence following a meeting between American League president Gene Budig, National League president Len Coleman, and umpires union head Richie Phillips. Gregg, listed at 325 pounds but visibly heavier, makes the decision in the aftermath of the Opening Day death of fellow umpire John McSherry, who succumbed to a massive heart attack. The NL hopes that Gregg will lose weight and improve his health during the layoff. *1998 - On the same day that major league baseball returned to Wisconsin 28 years earlier, National League baseball returned to Milwaukee for the first time in 32 years. It's a complicated story with a happy ending: The Milwaukee Braves were an National League team that moved to Atlanta in 1966, and the Seattle Pilots, who formed as an American League west expansion team in 1969, moved to Milwaukee and played their first game as the Brewers on April 7, 1970. Five years after their team owner, Bud Selig, became commissioner of baseball, the Brewers became an National League club. And on this day they were 6–4 winners over the Expos in their home opener. 2000s **The Tampa Bay Devil Rays retire uniform No. 12 in honor of Wade Boggs. Although the former Red Sox and Yankees third baseman only spent just two seasons with Tampa Bay, he hit the franchise's first home run and became the 23rd member of the 3,000-Hit Club as a member of the team. **In 15 games, a record total of 57 home runs are hit in the major leagues - two more than the August 13, 1999 mark established in 17 games. The 36 American League homers set the record for a league in one day, surpassing the previous mark by six. **The Astros play a regular-season game outdoors in Houston for the first time since 1965 as the team opens Enron Field with a 6–1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. **Berley W. Visgar is sentenced to 90 days in jail and is fined $1,000 by Circuit Judge Michael Brennan for going on Milwaukee County Stadium's field last season and jumping onto the back of Astros' outfielder Bill Spiers. Although Visgar has no prior criminal record, the judge believes a harsh sentence will hopefully stop fans from similar actions in the future. *2003 - Seven months before a November deadline, the Boston Red Sox exercise their 2004 contract option on Pedro Martínez, making him the highest paid pitcher for a season in major league history. A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Martínez will earn $17.5 million in the next season. *2004 - Adam LaRoche of the Atlanta Braves collects the first two hits of his career in one inning. En route to 18–10 win over the Mets, the rookie first baseman singles and doubles during the Braves' thirty-three minute, 11-run fourth inning. *2006 - Los Angeles Dodgers closer Eric Gagné will have surgery to remove a nerve from his pitching elbow – his second arm operation in less than a year – leaving his season in doubt. Gagné saved 152 games for the Dodgers from 2002–04 and was a near-unanimous winner of the National League Cy Young Award in 2003. He had a 1-0 record with a 2.70 ERA and eight saves while appearing in 14 games in 2005. Births *1873 - John McGraw, Hall of Fame player and manager (d. 1934) *1874 - John Ganzel, player and manager (d. 1959) *1884 - Jake Daubert, infielder (d. 1924) *1907 - Oral Hildebrand, All-Star pitcher (d. 1977) *1918 - Bobby Doerr, Hall of Fame infielder *1933 - Bobby Del Greco, outfielder *1942 - Tom Phoebus, pitcher *1944 - Bill Stoneman, All-Star pitcher *1969 - Ricky Bones, All-Star pitcher *1973 - Brett Tomko, pitcher *1975 - Ronnie Belliard, All-Star infielder *1977 - Ben Petrick, catcher *1979 - Adrián Beltré, infielder *1979 - Danny Sandoval, infielder Deaths *1914 - Charlie Ganzel, catcher (b. 1862) *1957 - Jim Scott, pitcher (b. 1888) *1967 - Shanty Hogan, catcher (b. 1906) *1997 - Witto Aloma, pitcher (b. 1923) *2005 - Bob Kennedy, player and manager (b. 1920)